Opening of exhibition: ELIXIR / Sam Kowalski (PL)

Das sagt der/die Veranstalter:in:

16.06 – 22.06.2025

Natalia Janula, Wojciech Skiba

opening: 16.06 – 7 pm

curators: Natalia Barczyńska, Monika Łuszpak-Skiba

The exhibition brings together two distinct yet complementary artistic practices: Natalia Januła, who creates site-specific objects and installations, and Wojciech Skiba, who presents a series of large-scale paintings from the Psychotic Chic series.

The titular Elixir emerges through the creation of new, alternative images born from perceptual distortions and stories detached from the past,reimagined anew on Skiba’s paintings, and from various forms of alternative substance, formed by the fusion of organic and synthetic matter, in Januła’s works.

In his works, Skiba delves into the process of transformation and self-renewal. His large-format canvases combine critical self-portraiture with references to art history and poetry. The works exude a playful, vibrant energy, but beneath the surface are complex processes of healing and confrontation. There is a deliberate tension between erotic images, allusions to pornography and pop culture, and deeper narratives of vulnerability, resilience and regeneration.

Januła, inspired by the mutability of forms and the invisible interconnections within nature, constructs installations that breathe and evolve with the space. Her works suggest the presence of hidden biological processes, hovering on the threshold between the organic and the artificial. Both artists engage in reimagining histories—personal, corporeal, and collective—crafting strength from difficult experiences and giving form to new, hybrid entities. Their works trace the contours of tissue being repaired, both literal and symbolic, offering a “sweet and sour” balance: outwardly marked by positivity and playfulness, while quietly confronting profound inner processes. Together, the artists create a multilayered narrative about healing, transformation, and the persistent entanglement of matter—bodily, mental, and environmental.

Exhibition co-organised by Krupa Art Foundation

hosted at NADAN Gallery

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Sam Kowalski, the solo project of Mateusz Kowalski (Monodia Polska, Tęgie Chłopy), offers a fresh perspective on oberek music from the Opoczno–Radom region. For over a decade, the artist has been collecting and performing rural melodies learned directly from masters – traditional singers and fiddlers. In his solo work, these tunes are reinterpreted through voice and gitalele – a small, six-string guitar – giving them an intimate, meditative character.

Kowalski’s performance is more than a concert – it is an encounter with silence, rhythm, and memory. He deliberately slows down the traditionally fast-paced dance rhythms, inviting the listener into a space of focus and inner reflection. The performance is accompanied by minimalist visuals: footage recorded on VHS tape in the villages near Przysucha – a raw, poetic documentation of living tradition.